WWE Pushes Back Plans For "WWE Network" To 2012-2013

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc plans to launch a cable TV network featuring its hulking wrestlers and scripted storylines in mid-2012 or early 2013, later than it had previously hoped, a top executive said on Tuesday.

WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Vince McMahon said in February that he hoped to have a network up and running in 18 months, implying August 2011.

However, Chief Operating Officer Donna Goldsmith said on Tuesday that it would likely be a year or two beyond that date.

"It's taken us longer to galvanize the troops and figure out where we're going," she said at the Reuters Global Media Summit. "My guess is more like the middle of 2012 or even the beginning of 2013 before we're ready to go forward."

Goldsmith said she had not yet spoken to potential advertisers, saying she wanted first to work out details related to programming.

She also reiterated that WWE is leaning toward a network model similar to that instituted by Major League Baseball, where several pay-TV operators own a stake in the venture. That decision has not yet been finalized, she added.

Beyond the launch of the network, Goldsmith said priorities also included international expansion, including building WWE's presence in spots like Brazil, India and Russia.

source: wrestlezone.com